Spain moves to dismantle controversial Romanian fascist monument in Majadahonda
The Spanish government has set a deadline of less than two weeks to remove a monument honoring Romanian fascists who died fighting for the Nationalist side in the Civil War.
A monument in Majadahonda that commemorates Ion Mota and Vasile Marin, two members of the Romanian paramilitary Guard of Iron who died on 13 January 1937 fighting for the Nationalist forces, has been classified by the Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory as a symbol opposed to democratic memory. The ministry issued a three-month deadline for its permanent removal, which now expires in less than two weeks.
The monument and the parcel it stands on belong to the Association for the Custody of the Monument to the Fallen Romanian Legionaries, which has not answered official inquiries. The municipal government, led by the PP, claims it has no competence over the private land, while the regional government rejects any cultural heritage protection for the site. If the association fails to act, the state will apply article 37 of the Democratic Memory Law, allowing fines and forced dismantling. The monument, erected in 1970 with funding from the Romanian exile community and Spanish financial institutions, has long been a gathering point for ultra-nationalist groups.
Why it matters
The removal addresses ongoing tensions over how Spain commemorates its Francoist past and upholds democratic memory laws.
In this story
